Adjacent Words

Shrink definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

SHRINK, v.i. pret. and pp. shrunk. the old pret. shrank and pp. shrunken are nearly obsolete.
To contract spontaneously; to draw or be drawn into less length, breadth or compass by an inherent power; as, woolen cloth shrinks in hot water; a flaxen of hempen line shrinks in a humid atmosphere. Many substances shrink by drying.
2. To shrivel; to become wrinkled by contraction; as th eskin.
3. To withdraw or retire, as from danger; to decline action from fear. A brave man never shrinks from danger; a good man does not shrink from duty.
4. To recoil, as in fear, horror or distress. My mind shrinks from the recital of our woes.
What happier natures shrink at with affright,
The hard inhabitant contends is right. Pope.
5. To express fear, horror or pain by shrugging or contracting the body.
SHRINK, v.t. to cause to contract; as, to shrink by immersing it in boiling water.
O mighty Cesar, dost thou lie so low!
Are all thy conquests, glories, triumphs, spoils,
Shrunk to this little measure! Shak.
SHRINK, n.
1. Contraction; a spontaneous drawing into less compass; corrugation.
2. Contraction; a withdrawing from fear or horror.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a physician who specializes in psychiatry [syn: psychiatrist, head-shrinker, shrink] v
1: wither, as with a loss of moisture; "The fruit dried and shriveled" [syn: shrivel, shrivel up, shrink, wither]
2: draw back, as with fear or pain; "she flinched when they showed the slaughtering of the calf" [syn: flinch, squinch, funk, cringe, shrink, wince, recoil, quail]
3: reduce in size; reduce physically; "Hot water will shrink the sweater"; "Can you shrink this image?" [syn: shrink, reduce]
4: become smaller or draw together; "The fabric shrank"; "The balloon shrank" [syn: shrink, contract] [ant: expand, spread out, stretch]
5: decrease in size, range, or extent; "His earnings shrank"; "My courage shrivelled when I saw the task before me" [syn: shrink, shrivel]

Merriam Webster's

I. verb (shrank or shrunk; shrunk or shrunken; shrinking) Etymology: Middle English, from Old English scrincan; akin to Middle Dutch schrinken to draw back Date: before 12th century intransitive verb 1. to contract or curl up the body or part of it ; huddle, cower 2. a. to contract to less extent or compass b. to become smaller or more compacted c. to lose substance or weight d. to lessen in value ; dwindle 3. a. to recoil instinctively (as from something painful or horrible) <shrank from the challenge> b. to hold oneself back ; refrain <did not shrink from telling the truth> transitive verb to cause to contract or shrink; specifically to compact (cloth) by causing to contract when subjected to washing, boiling, steaming, or other processes Synonyms: see contract, recoil • shrinkable adjective • shrinker noun II. noun Date: 1590 1. the act of shrinking 2. shrinkage 3. [short for headshrinker] a clinical psychiatrist or psychologist

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. & n. --v. (past shrank; past part. shrunk or (esp. as adj.) shrunken) 1 tr. & intr. make or become smaller; contract, esp. by the action of moisture, heat, or cold. 2 intr. (usu. foll. by from) a retire; recoil; flinch; cower (shrank from her touch). b be averse from doing (shrinks from meeting them). 3 (as shrunken adj.) (esp. of a face, person, etc.) having grown smaller esp. because of age, illness, etc. --n. 1 the act or an instance of shrinking; shrinkage. 2 sl. a psychiatrist (from 'head-shrinker'). Phrases and idioms: shrinking violet an exaggeratedly shy person. shrink into oneself become withdrawn. shrink on slip (a metal tyre etc.) on while expanded with heat and allow to tighten. shrink-resistant (of textiles etc.) resistant to shrinkage when wet etc. shrink-wrap (-wrapped, -wrapping) enclose (an article) in (esp. transparent) film that shrinks tightly on to it. Derivatives: shrinkable adj. shrinker n. shrinkingly adv. shrink-proof adj. Etymology: OE scrincan: cf. skrynka to wrinkle

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Shrink Shrink, v. i. [imp. Shrankor Shrunkp. p. Shrunk or Shrunken, but the latter is now seldom used except as a participial adjective; p. pr. & vb. n. Shrinking.] [OE. shrinken, schrinken, AS. scrincan; akin to OD. schrincken, and probably to Sw. skrynka a wrinkle, skrynkla to wrinkle, to rumple, and E. shrimp, n. & v., scrimp. CF. Shrimp.] 1. To wrinkle, bend, or curl; to shrivel; hence, to contract into a less extent or compass; to gather together; to become compacted. And on a broken reed he still did stay His feeble steps, which shrunk when hard thereon he lay. --Spenser. I have not found that water, by mixture of ashes, will shrink or draw into less room. --Bacon. Against this fire do I shrink up. --Shak. And shrink like parchment in consuming fire. --Dryden. All the boards did shrink. --Coleridge. 2. To withdraw or retire, as from danger; to decline action from fear; to recoil, as in fear, horror, or distress. What happier natures shrink at with affright, The hard inhabitant contends is right. --Pope. They assisted us against the Thebans when you shrank from the task. --Jowett (Thucyd.) 3. To express fear, horror, or pain by contracting the body, or part of it; to shudder; to quake. [R.] --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Shrink Shrink, n. The act shrinking; shrinkage; contraction; also, recoil; withdrawal. Yet almost wish, with sudden shrink, That I had less to praise. --Leigh Hunt.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Shrink Shrink, v. t. 1. To cause to contract or shrink; as, to shrink finnel by imersing it in boiling water. 2. To draw back; to withdraw. [Obs.] The Libyc Hammon shrinks his horn. --Milton. To shrink on (Mach.), to fix (one piece or part) firmly around (another) by natural contraction in cooling, as a tire on a wheel, or a hoop upon a cannon, which is made slightly smaller than the part it is to fit, and expanded by heat till it can be slipped into place.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(shrinks, shrinking, shrank, shrunk) 1. If cloth or clothing shrinks, it becomes smaller in size, usually as a result of being washed. All my jumpers have shrunk. VERB: V 2. If something shrinks or something else shrinks it, it becomes smaller. The vast forests of West Africa have shrunk... Hungary may have to lower its hopes of shrinking its state sector. ? grow VERB: V, V n 3. If you shrink away from someone or something, you move away from them because you are frightened, shocked, or disgusted by them. One child shrinks away from me when I try to talk to him... VERB: V prep/adv 4. If you do not shrink from a task or duty, you do it even though it is unpleasant or dangerous. We must not shrink from the legitimate use of force if we are to remain credible... VERB: usu with neg, V from n 5. A shrink is a psychiatrist. (INFORMAL) I've seen a shrink already. N-COUNT 6. no shrinking violet: see violet

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. n. 1. Shrivel, contract, decrease, dwindle, wither. 2. Recoil, blench, flinch, withdraw, retire, swerve, draw back, give way.

Moby Thesaurus

Sanforize, abate, ablate, about the bush, ache, agonize, ail, analyst, anguish, attenuate, avoid, avoid the limelight, balk at, bate, be eaten away, beat around, beg the question, behavior therapist, blanch, blench, blink, blush unseen, boggle, clinical psychologist, compress, concentrate, condense, constrict, consume, consume away, contract, corrode, cower, cringe, crouch, crumble, decline, decrease, deliquesce, demur, deplete, depreciate, desiccate, die away, diminish, dissipate, dive, dodge, drain, draw back, draw in, dribble away, drift away, droop, drop, drop off, dry up, duck, dwindle, ebb, emacerate, emaciate, equivocate, erode, evade, fade, fade away, fall, fall away, fall back, fall off, fall short, falter, feel pain, feel the pangs, fence, fight shy of, flag, flinch, funk, go, go away, grimace, hang back, hang off, have a misery, have qualms, headshrinker, hedge, hem and haw, hesitate, hold off, huddle, hurt, hypnotherapist, jib, languish, lessen, let up, macerate, make bones about, melt away, move away, move off, narcotherapist, parch, parry, pause, pine, plummet, plunge, pound, preshrink, psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, psychoanalyzer, psychotherapeutist, psychotherapist, pull away, pull back, pull in, pull out, pussyfoot, put off, quail, recede, recoil, reel back, retire, retract, retreat, retrocede, run low, sag, scruple, sear, sheer off, shift, shift off, shoot, shrink back, shrink from, shrinker, shrivel, shrivel up, shy, shy at, shy away, shy off, sidestep, sink, slink, smart, squander, squinch, stand off, start, start aside, start back, step aside, stick at, stickle, strain, subside, suffer, swerve, tail off, thin, thrill, throb, tingle, turn aside, twinge, twitch, wane, ward off, waste, waste away, waver, weaken, wear, wear away, weasel, weasel out, weazen, widen the distance, wilt, wince, withdraw, withdraw from, wither, wizen, writhe